Interview with Jason Stoddard
Published 2015-06-08.
So why should I give you the time of day?
Because you're thinking about starting your own business...but you don't have rich relatives, a trust fund, or venture capital. And, you don't want to read another puffed-shirt business book ghost-written for the CEO of the moment. Andddd...you want to know what this whole business thing really works like.
Or you have a fascination with electronics, engineering, or audio.
What about your other books?
Yep. I published one novel, Winning Mars, through Prime Books, and two mass-market novels, Mecha Corps and Mecha Rogue, through Penguin. Yes, I am a casualty of the old-time publishing houses. I've also published about 30 short stories, in various places from Sci Fiction (remember them?), Interzone, and many more.
You'll note that none of these stories have anything to do with business. Hey, well, I'm a bit scattered, what can I say.
So are you going to start writing SF again?
I don't know. Thinking about it.
So are you going to write more business books?
Heck, I hope not. That would mean I started another business. While this isn't a bad thing, I'd like to concentrate on Schiit and Centric for a while.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Hell yes. It was a truly terrible pastiche of about 40 bad horror stories that I wrote as an assignment in 8th grade. The teacher loved it, but it was really, really bad.
What is your writing process?
Sit down. Put on headphones. Write. Helps explain why I started a headphone company.
Seriously, I can't deal with distractions, and I usually write in 2,000-4,000 word blocks at a time. I'm not super prolific, but I don't agonize over every single comma (which you probably have already figured out.)
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Actually, yes. Well, probably not the first story, but damn close. I had gone through all the non-fiction science and medical books in our local library (no kidding) and was looking for something to read. Science fiction had "science" in it, so I figured it was worth a shot. I picked up an anthology that was fronted by Stanley Weinbaum's A Martian Odyssey. I was completely and utterly hooked on the grand adventure of SF ever since.
How do you approach cover design?
I do my own, I have a bad Photoshop addiction.
What do you read for pleasure?
Right now, medical books. Yeah. Who knows. I'll move on soon back to SF though.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
In the case of Schiit Happened, being able to help people who are thinking about starting their own business.
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Books by This Author
Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up
by Jason Stoddard
For everyone who didn't win the venture capital lottery,
or everyone who wasn't born with a trust fund,
for everyone who doesn't have rich relatives...
This is the story of how real start-ups work. This is how to turn a dream into a multimillion dollar business—without selling out, without spending a mint on marketing, and without losing your sense of humor.
